I spent a week in BKK in Dec 2002 and had a great time again. My first trip to BKK was in 1998. It is not as exciting as the first time (talking about being a kid in a candy store), but I could not think of another better place for my vacation (aka holiday in some circles). There are a lot of information on the web these days, so I would just provide a few tidbits in case they may be helpful to my fellow travellers. I spent most of my time in the Sukhumvit area.

- I stayed at the Grand President at 1500B a night. Surprisingly (or not) their weekly rate is higher than 7 times daily rate. (TIT) Overnite guest is never a problem. They would automatically record and hold guest ID which is good insurance, esp if your guest is not associated with an establishment, hence not easily traceable if there should be any problem. I got saluted by the night guard everytime he saw me. The fact that I slipped him a few B (20-50) once in awhile definitely did not hurt.

- I stayed at the Windor Hotel on Soi 20 for 2 nights. I was told at checkin that guest fee is 500B. They seem to have a lot of Asian and tour customers and may be they are trying to discourage certain type of guests. It is kind of ironic. Someone told me that there is a Ladies (customer only) Club on a top floor of the associated Windor Suite Hotel next door. Oh well.

- Bus 25 will get you up and down Sukhumvit between Soi 0 and Soi 33 easily. Skytrain will do the same, but with less stops. You can pretty much step on and off the bus whether they are not moving, in addition to bus stops. But watch out for those motorcycles zipping by. Bus fare seems to be 3.5B going the Soi 33 direction; and 5B going the Soi 0 direction.

- I was in BKK in the middle of Dec. Most places were not that crowded, even though they were not empty either. Most bars were reaonably stocked with BGs. I did not take out any BGs this time. Asking prices seemed to be much higher than I remembered. One awfully cute BG asked for 2000B ST and 3000B LT at Midnite on Soi Cowboy. One very eager waitress in Hollywood 2 offered 1500B to ST at the Nana Guest House. Oh, I do dig that perfectly ironed white and black uniform.

- I used to spend a lot time of in Nana Disco. Now you have to buy a drink ticket (160B) before you can get in. I was more turned off by the pushy attitude of staff than the price, and did not set foot inside even once. Few times I peeked inside, the place is not anywhere near as crowded as before.

- 2am closing was strictly enforced. The Grace Hotel coffee shop seems to be one of the few places to go after 2am. I was never into the Grace crowd and girls and did not go. If you have not been there before, it is definitely worth a look look. You may have very different taste.

- Thermae is still very good hunting ground. Great varieties, but could be too smokely for some people. I heard that some girls do not like it there because of the smoke. You see a good selection of part timers, regulars, OT barfined BGs, etc.

- Seems to me in Thermae ST starts at 1000B, and the desparate would go as low as 500B. To me, part timers are more fun. One drawback is that some of them don't do LT. Some of them seem to have a job to go back to the next day. They are probably also not as smooth as the regulars, lacking in experience. But still, they are more fun overall.

- I like traditional Thai massage. My two favorite places are Royal Sari (250B for two hours, across from Bourbon Street) and Marble House (400B for two hours, 10% discount sometimes if you ask) above Thermae. As far as I know, these are purely massage places to relax and you don't have to worry about any sexual harrassment. The worst experience I have is with the massage shop inside Ambassador. The girl was very attractive, but I was not in the mood. She was downright nasty after I told her that I did not want to do anything extra but would pay her a tip. I changed my mind- no tips for her.

- The friendiest NEP bar I've been to is Three Roses on the second floor. Small place, but very friendly staff and BGs.

- Had two soapy baths. One at Emmanuel (1800B) and one at Texas (1200B). They are kind of fun in a professional (mechanical) way. There is none of that GFE illusion that some BGs are very good at. Very efficient, an hour and a half you are done. They will bid you goodbye and you know that they would greatly appreciate tips- not taxi money, not down payment for the cow that her parents are buying. The good news is that you know they won't be expecting you to send a monthly stipend. This is the end of a capitalistic transaction, and your opportunity to show your satisfactory by ponying up tips for the wondering services you have just received.

- I prefer the airport bus into Sukhumvit. 100B each way. (Of course locals pay less.) Taxis are ok too. You will save a few Baht if you get a taxi from the departure level instead of the arrival level. This time the taxi drivers always use the meter. No problem here. If you have not use taxis in BKK before, make sure that the diver use the meter by pulling down the flag. And yes, they never have enough small change. You may want to stock up on smaller bills other than the 1000B bills you get at the airport.

- Currency exchange at the airport is just about the same as on Sukhumvit. My experience is mostly with US$ but I suspect other currencies are the same. Differences between shops are very small. I usually dollar-cost average it by using a few shops and spread it over my stay.

- I usually like to hang around Yawarat a bit. Interesting side streets and scenary in the evening. From Sukhumvit Bus 25 toward Soi 0 will take you there, after passing thru World Trade Center, Lumpini Park and the Main Train Station. Did you know that Yawarat is the largest Chinatown in the world? I have been ripped off only once during my many trips to Thailand, in Yawarat. 2000B stolen by a SW. That is a story for another day. The ongoing SW rate seems to be 300B in that area. One local massage place I stuck my head into quoted me 700B and 800B.

- I've met some very nice and interesting people in Thailand. Mr. Stanley from England who was looking for a Thai wife. The Alaskan fisherman with a Thai wife and resturant near Loas, who was shooting pool at Bamboo Bar during his BKK vacation, sans wife of course. He said that Xmas and New Year are not really Thai things and someone have to hold down the fort at the resturant. Good Points. The Danish tour guide who has relatives living near Foodland. The Dutch who introduced and travelled with me to Ko Samui. The Italian diplomat at the Bier Garden on Soi 5 who was stationed at Seoul. I am totally convinced he is a secret agent specialized in covert operations. And yes, the Brit in Thermae who was trying to figure out whether I am from Thailand, Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong or China, and was confused by my American accent.